


Running with Scissors

by JaceCadet



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4190649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaceCadet/pseuds/JaceCadet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako has one responsibility, to guide and protect a precious, and extremely rare soul. But what will happen when Mako, the ageless being, is born to the Earth, not as an ethereal guardian, but as an adorable, furry companion? Being prisoner to the body of a dog, Mako's bond with her ward, the troubled Ryuko, is much different from what she planned. As Ryuko grows, the limits of Mako's power will be tested as will both girls' belief in fate.<br/>I'm not sure what will come of this, but hopefully something will.</p><p>Shout out to the lovely Ryumako, who proofreads my madness before it is released.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Mako knew two things for certain since the beginning of her existence. The first fact was her given purpose for the next eternity: to watch over the soul of a beautifully cursed creature lest it reach an irrevocable end.

The second fact she knew was that this soul had not yet been born once through the course of Earth’s entire history. All her kindred spirits were summoned upon countless times to watch over every different human born with their matching soul, and she watched with eagerness and hope, then indifference, and finally a feeling of overwhelming sadness rivaling that of phantom babes. Due to her unrelieved sense of uselessness, Mako, the soul, had grown completely inconsolable; disheartened in the purest of ways. 

To wait for an individual to be born amongst all the other possible souls is a bleak mixture of trying to win the lottery and constantly missing your bus. And quite frankly, Mako had become hostile toward the idea of conception and sickened by the cruel fate of her duty. There was no indication whatsoever that her time in this void would ever be of any value.

However, irony has a funny way of rescuing dangerously dry hearts and nurturing them with the love that they have learned not to crave. The truth, however unrealistic it may seem, is that it is statistically impossible for anything to not happen when it is given an eternity to come to fruition. This is true, even for long-forsaken Mako.

After all, every dog must have its day.


	2. An Elf-Girl's Curse

From her first glimpse at memory, Ryuko remembers having the feeling of imps housed in her head. 

Despite her best efforts at cleanliness and precision, someone was always pointing out her failings. One shoe’s unknotted laces were always trailing in muddy weeds. Her smile always possessed a crooked curve that spoke volumes of curiosity biting at her lips. Dirt formed under her nails, whether she burrowed into the earth or not. Most noticeably, her speech lacked control, which caused a chasm to form between her and everyone who heard her.

In place of human bonding, Ryuko made friends with Anger and when she didn’t wield him like a knife towards others, Anger would try to strangle the life out of her. 

She listened hard, to the point of headache, as a cold man in a chemical coat and then a woman wielding a cardboard smile and clipboard advice tried to explain her existence to her. Ryuko bit her lip, quietly fidgeting, as they administered candy-flavored insults, but inside her, Anger was screaming. By the time her father parked in front of their haven-house of glass and foliage, the last thing Ryuko remembered for certain was how the adults had called Anger by a different name. “Intermittent Explosive Disorder” was what they had said, but in her heart, Anger wouldn’t hear of it and demanded to be what he was, nothing more or less. Ryuko didn’t have the strength to disagree. 

That night, as she flopped without grace onto her bed, she shed her flower petal armor into the sheets. Her long quest in the garden had ended in quite the victory. She recounted in her mind, the discovery of an abandoned rabbit home, which she used to hide a fistful of acorns and one dirt-encrusted penny. Just then, a small sound grasped her attention and she looked over as her father lightly tapped the door open.

He sat at the edge of her bed, preparing to tell her a story. “You mustn’t get scared now, Ryuko. The brave girl in this story must have a strong heart to reach her happiness. Can you stay awake long enough to hear me out and offer your wisdom to my friend?”

Ryuko responds with a confident nod.

“Alright. Far away, further than any man could run, too far for any person to dig, a teeny, tiny elf girl lived in a box hidden in a tree stump. But, the little girl had been cursed. While she slept in her garden of mushrooms, a goblin snuck up on her and began whispering curses into her ear. Its wicked words warped her hearing until even the soothing sound of cricket song caused a screeching pain underneath her scalp. She could hear the shuffle of snowfall now, the cries of stiff metal in far off cities, the groan released from upturned earth.”

Ryuko piped up, “Why did the goblin do that? Was she mad at it for cursing her?”

“Oh, yes. Her blood turned hot with rage,” her father continued. ”With her heart broken she began to grow weak.”

At this, Ryuko’s eyes widen with sadness. “What? Why? Is she going to die?!”

“It isn’t quite like that. Fading away is what happens to magical creatures when they feel like they are alone. What do you think we could do to keep her from fading, though?” Her father’s voice broke as he said, “What can I do to help her? I don’t know how to help her.” After saying his piece, he quickly brushes his arm across his eyes and stares sadly at his worried daughter.

“I think… I think that the princess needs something that loves her. Maybe a quiet friend that can’t hurt her, like…” Ryuko thinks long and hard about the requirements. Suddenly, the answer is clear to her and she grabs her father by the hands. “A dog! A dog would be perfect!” 

Her father blinks at her as if he is trying to understand. “A… dog.” Slowly, his face breaks into a relieved smile. “Of course! A dog IS perfect! Let’s see if we can find a dog for the little elf tomorrow then, okay?”

Ryuko responds with a lopsided grin. “We’ll find the perfect puppy for the sad elf girl and then she won’t be so alone, I know it.”


	3. A Lesson in Knowing

The unpaved road causes the car to jolt back and forth, and Ryuko pushes her face against the window’s surface trying to reach their destination ahead of the vehicle. Her whole body itches to tumble out the door and run for the warm faces they’re approaching. Warm, fuzzy faces filled with slobbery puppy tongues. Despite being a few years older, the charm of exploration and discovery had not worn away.

Finally, their car crawls to a stop in front of a farmhouse that hides in the shadow of a massive barn. Amber grass melds seamlessly into a field of wild wheat, tenacious vines attempt to overtake the house, and the barn out back appears be surrounded in a cloud of dust. This rickety yet inviting place reminds Ryuko of her father’s fairytales and her heart quickens at the notion of walking over magical ground. She climbs out of the car and grabs her father’s hand, pulling him toward the door.

This was the third stop in their hunt for the perfect pup and as the sun began to sink below the horizon, Ryuko’s father releases a weary sigh. Ryuko, however, remains unfazed. Determined to complete her mission and excited by obvious puppy prospects, she marches up splintering steps. Rapping gently on a wooden screen door, Ryuko’s father squeezes his daughter’s hand and grins. Despite the fact that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, Ryuko beams back at him. 

Rhythmic shuffling and creaking sounds from within the worn house, and their faces swivel toward the door. As a gasp escapes her, Ryuko can’t help but stare at the aged creature that stands behind the blackened screen. Seeming older than Father Time, an ancient mound of a man slowly pushes the door open, and blinks his face of crow’s feet and laugh lines at the receding sun. His long hair and beard travel past his entire midriff and his right eye hides behind a simple, black eye patch. His left eye looks past the rumpled, yet clean lines of Ryuko’s father; darting straight to Ryuko’s shining blue eyes. Then he spoke.

“Such a young girl, yet your pupils are already entrapped by a dark circle of thorns.” The old man made no move toward her; however Ryuko felt that his presence had encompassed her vision. After a moment of bizarre eye contact, the old man exclaims, “How bright they burn, though!” He snaps his gaze to the barn. “I know you came to see my pups in the barn, but I don’t believe you will find what you truly seek. Either way, I have words to share with you, child. Many situations will confront you, both blessings and curses, and every one of them will have positive and negative effects. Sometimes you will need to force the world’s hand, and at other times you will be forced to wait patiently for the current of life to flow naturally.”

Ryuko shifts her legs and tightens her grip on her father’s hand. Aware of his daughter’s growing discomfort, Ryuko’s father thanks the elderly man for his generosity and politely walks back down the porch steps. Father and daughter make their way toward the mountainous barn as the scrutinizing gaze of the one-eyed man retreats back into the rustic farmhouse. Ryuko begins a soft sigh of relief just as a strange flare from her friend, Anger, tightens her throat. She is luckily lost in her thoughts, which is enough to block the anger from spilling out of her. Taken aback by her unusual display of self-control, Anger quiets down, resuming his place amongst the chambers of her heart.

Once inside the cavernous barn, Ryuko’s jaw drops. She is stunned by the variety of puppies that are scattered throughout the hay like seashells on a beach. Even her father can’t help but think that every possible breed of canine is represented in some way. Wandering through the colorful clusters of dog, Ryuko is overwhelmed by their sheer numbers and finds it nearly impossible to formulate a clear thought. Her father, deciding it is best that she make the decision herself, leans into the gaping doorway, fanning his hand at the swirling dust.

However, as many minutes trickle by, he begins to doubt whether she is interested in any of the dogs. He calls out to her, hesitation in his tone. “Have you seen any you like?” Ryuko glances over at him. She was still mulling over the words of the man with the single, slanting eye, and the puppies had really just become scenery to her. She felt guilty and disappointed, but none of the dogs had the essence she was searching for, and she tries to explain that to her father. After a slight pause and another tired sigh, he says, “Well. Sometimes we only find what we need after we quit looking.”

Ryuko sat down in the center of the floor. Curious dogs, one after another, come up to nuzzle her with their shiny noses, but she remains unresponsive. She stares past her father toward the final flash of sunlight on the horizon. She was searching for the reason why none of these dogs tugged on the red strings of her heart, but the answer eluded her. Her father’s words made sense, yet she still felt desperate to find the missing element to her perfect companion.  
With heart and head suddenly weary, Ryuko drags herself to her feet and shuffles toward the door. Golden waves of straw crinkle at her movements and ripple as little puppies are kept at bay by an invisible barrier surrounding the disheartened dreamer. Her father does not try to hold her, but instead follows close and silent, supporting her in the only way he knows. 

While he does not fear his daughter or her outbursts, he is familiar with his daughter’s tendencies and dislikes. One of her triggers, for example, is physical contact when she wears a certain facial expression that reflects imagination and lack of direction. In these moments of deep thought, it is almost as if Ryuko exits her body, leaving it to be piloted by a different, angrier version of herself. He listens and watches for anything that might provoke this Ryuko doppelganger, but by the time they reach the car, she seems to have regained most of her crooked composure. Ryuko looks over her shoulder, with a sad smile and reddened eyes. 

“I think I’m done looking for a pet,” she confesses. Her father pushes his eyebrows together in a concerned arc, opening the door to the back seat of the car for the sad, little elf girl. He fears she is nearing the breaking point; the moment when she withdraws into her little box home inside a dying tree stump and locks herself away for eternity. Frustration spreads from his stomach to his eyes and he quickly shuts the car door. 

A film of despair forms over his vision and his hope drips down his cheeks. It does little to moisten the dusty earth beneath his shoes, and he laughs bitterly. Sliding behind the steering wheel, he glances at the blurred rear view mirror. In the reflection, Ryuko faces the window, fogging it over with her breath and scribbles with her index finger.

Ryuko’s father starts the car and casually asks, “What are you drawing, kiddo?”  
Ryuko doesn’t look up as she says, “I made a friend in my dream last night.”

This statement does not throw her father and he responds, “That sounds like fun. Was she nice?”

Ryuko nods, forgetting for a moment to be distraught. “I don’t know why, but she seemed really happy to see me. It’s hard to explain; she was crying, but also laughing. And she was really pretty, like… Sugar. Sweet tea. Or maybe sunlight.” Ryuko closes her eyes, her voice drifting around the car like lazy clouds, like well-fed sheep. “There’s no way she’s real, is there?”

Her father’s vague answer is, “You never know.” He isn’t convinced that she was really asking him, anyway.  
The car dances its way over hills of rocks and wheat and wild herbs, miles from the farmhouse and its odd occupant. Under the dark blue sky, a motion in the grassy grain on a nearby slope goes unnoticed by the tired travelers. So when a brown ball comes rolling onto the road, car brakes squeal, like the cries of surprised swine. In response to the commotion, the brown ball twitches.

In the heat of the moment, Ryuko’s father releases a single burst of profanity. Ryuko remains silent, staring with unbelieving eyes at the road ahead.


End file.
